


A Date For A Day Off

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Aquariums, Fluff, M/M, aquarium dates, let them have a cute date okay?, post-operation pitfall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 02:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14391969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: It's Newt's idea that while having a day off in Baltimore (while on press tour), that they go on a date to an aquarium. After all they've gone through before, spending the day with Newt sounds absolutely perfect.





	A Date For A Day Off

**Author's Note:**

> Fueled by my own desire to one day go on an aquarium date.

Hermann watched a stingray lazily swim abut the pool; no set path. It just went wherever it pleased. It was absolutely carefree in its habitat.

“Ever seen a stringray?” Newt asks, latching onto his arm and leaning into him.

Hermann glances at Newt, who’s smiling brightly at him, and then back to the stingray. “I’ve seen one before. They’re interesting creatures.”

“Not to mention super adorable, although they’re not as cute as you. Have you ever pet a stingray?”

“No. And I’m assuming you have? Can you even do that?”

“Totally. It was years ago, but it was cool.”

In the wake of closing the Breach, there were press tours and lectures and conferences to attend in different parts of the world. Newt had been quick to state that they would attend these together, and maybe that was because of the Drift they had shared with the Kaiju brain, but Hermann actually agreed with Newt for once. Hermann didn’t really want to be apart from Newt; not now, not after what they had been through.

Not after they had been inside each other’s heads, and certainly not after that night spent together- soft touches, warm kisses, just existing together in a way Hermann’s wanted for the longest time.

In between some of their stops in the States, they had a day of rest after a conference in Baltimore. That morning when they had woken up in their hotel room, after taking a few minutes to lazily kiss each other and holding each other, Newt got out of bed, opened the blinds, and proclaimed he was going to take Hermann on a date today.

Hermann accepted, which is how he now found himself at an aquarium at the Inner Harbor area of the city. Newt’s idea of course.

“Come on; let’s keep going.” Newt insisted. “There’s a lot more to see.”

“I can only imagine.” Hermann replied. The aquarium was a complex of two large buildings; there was likely plenty to see.

“Yeah, much more than this pool. This is just the start. You’re gonna have a good time; I promise.”

Hermann smiled at him, because he believed in Newt’s words.

Newt took the lead and guided him past a circular tank of fish swimming around and to an upper level of the aquarium. Newt was buzzing with excitement as Hermann walked hand in hand with him; he could feel it through their connection. Newt was smiling and pointing out various species of fish and other aquatic creatures with his usual enthusiasm, explaining them to Hermann as they went along.

Hermann would admit he did not know much about aquatic life; that was more Newt’s area, being a biologist. He knew as well that Newt had done studies on marine life somewhere in those six doctorates (through those letters and through the Drift), so it was not surprising that Newt knew so much about many of the creatures here.

Between each of Newt’s explanations and ramblings about the creatures, Hermann took time to observe the subjects in their habitats. Newt was right in saying there was a lot to look at.

“Look at this octopus, dude.” Newt pointed out at one tank.

Hermann looked to where the biologist had pointed, seeing an octopus relaxing on a rock in its tank. “Appears to be just minding its own business.”

“Yeah, it would seem that way. Years ago when I was working on one of my PhDs I actually spent a summer volunteering for an aquarium and I got to hang with the octopuses.”

“Really?”

“Yup. They’re real chill once they warm up to you. One latched right onto my arm once; man that was weird, but it was great.”

Hermann conjured a mental image of an octopus on Newt’s arm. He could imagine Newt smiling and gesturing to it, but he also imagined Newt trying to get Hermann to get a octopus to grab onto his arm; latching its cold slimy appendages-

Hermann shuddered. “Sounds simply weird.”

Newt seemed amused by Hermann’s reaction. “Do you know they’re the closest thing we have to aliens?”

“You mean aside from the Kaiju?” It was Hermann’s attempt at a joke, but the followed up with, “Are you serious? How are they-”

“Super amazingly smart, has a crazy genome- they can hide on bookshelves if they want! They’re absolutely insane, and it’s so cool.” Newt gestured at the octopus as he explained all this. “I mean, we might as well have had aliens on our planet before the Kaiju even got here. So, if that’s the case, then the octopus was the first alien in out world, not the Kaiju- and we didn’t even know it!”

“I doubt the Kaiju would care if they were the first aliens on Earth or not. Didn’t you once say they were here before? The dinosaurs, yes?”

Newt squinted at him. “Okay, mister no fun. That was just something I saw in the Drift, and I saw a lot of things. You heard me after, right? Man, I was out of my head. Half of what I said probably didn’t even make any sense.”

“I was there, Newton...”

Newt’s smile faltered, and he took Hermann’s hand. “Hey. Shit, dude, I didn’t mean to-”

“No, don’t apologize, Newton. I know.” He let go of Newt’s hand, and instead placed it on the side of Newt’s face. “I know, Newt.”

Newt smiled up at him. “Dude, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“Oh, hush. We’ve still got plenty to see still, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah…” Newt grabbed onto his arm again. “Yeah, let’s go. I don’t wanna ruin this date. That’d suck.”

“You didn’t ruin this at all; not even close.” Hermann said softly, letting himself lean onto Newt. “You’re quite like an octopus you know; the way you’re always grabbing onto me like that. And you always hold me so close in bed, like you don’t want to let go.”

Newt tilts his head up, a mischievous grin now present. “I’m like an octopus? Oh, Hermann, that’s a bit k-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Hermann huffed. “And you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

Newt laughed. “I know. You think I’m cuddly, isn’t that right?”

“...Perhaps.”

“Always knew it.”

 

* * *

 

They move on to another part of the aquarium, Newt continuing to explain things to Hermann, and he still makes quiet observations on the aquatic lifeforms. There’s a Nautilus, which Hermann is very much interested in. There’s an eel, which creeps Newt out. There’s an area with sharks, including one interesting ‘sawtooth’ shark.

Hermann was enjoying this; all of it. They’d booth been busy in the whirlwind of conferences and the press tour that came with saving the world, that they hadn’t had many moments of relaxation. Today was one of those days where they could just forget about it, if only for a short while.

And Hermann wouldn't want to spend it any other way than with Newt, especially at a place that very much fell within Newt’s interests. Hermann knew Newt liked aquariums.

When they had seen what there was to see in that building, they moved onto the other building. There, Newt saw something interesting and told Hermann it was something they had to try out.

It turns out that what Newt wanted to see was something the locals called a ‘touch tank’.

“Newton, this is ridiculous.” Hermann complained as Newt took him over to the tanks, still holding onto his hand.

“Is not,” Newt insisted. “and you’re actually gonna get to touch a stingray, so I don’t see what there is to whine about. Oh, I think there’s moon jellies in the other one. This thing must be new. Then again it’s been years since I was last here.”

Hermann gave a sigh and gazed down into the tanks. “How does this work, exactly?”

The biologist only smiled and took his hand. “Follow my lead.”

Deciding to put his trust in Newt- yes, he trusted Newt- Hermann let him carefully guide his hand into the open top of one of the tanks. There was a small stingray swimming about in the water. Hermann felt his fingers touch the water, and then a moment later the stingray noticed them. It swam up underneath his fingers.

Hermann was startled by the sudden contact; it was smooth and cool.

“Aw, it likes you.” Newt cooed. He then let go of Hermann’s hand and let it rest in the water beside him. “Relax; it won’t hurt you. I’ll be right here.”

Hermann kept his gaze on the stingray, which had swam back around and came to where his hand was again. Hermann was still as it swam under his hand again; his fingers brushing the top of it as it swam by. He wasn’t startled this time, though he still watched it swim. It wasn’t that bad, really, now that hew knew what to expect. He saw it go by Newt, the biologist smiling as it passed under his hand.

“See? Really cool, huh?”

Hermann turned his eyes up to Newt. “...It’s not so bad.”

“You wanna try with the moon jellies in the other tank?”

 

* * *

 

After Newt had persuaded him to touch the tops of one of the moon jellies in the other tank, Hermann caught sight of an actual jellyfish exhibit nearby. Newt was instantly interested, saying, “dude we have to go see the jellyfish”.

The exhibit was in a sort of a darkened closed off space, light coming from the tanks placed throughout. There were a few people walking about the space, passing by various jellyfish. Hermann recognized a tank filled with moon jellies (there had to be some scientific name for them but Newt insisted on calling them that).

“If you really think about it, Jellyfish are really just underwater ghosts.” Newt points out. “They have no brain.”

“I’m sure you find that fascinating.” Hermann replies. He’s pretty sure he’s heard Newt say that before.

“Duh, of course I do. Neurologically, they’re super interesting. That kinda stuff’s right up my alley.”

“Did you ever consider studying marine biology?” He asks.

“At some point, yeah. I mean, the war kinda put me on a new path but- yeah, I thought about it once.”

“Maybe you should consider it again.”

Newt gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“The whole time we’ve been here you’ve talked passionately about the creatures here, and I know you mentioned you studied it once. I also know that since the end of the war, you’ve been looking at those remaining Kaiju samples for far too long; because you know they’re gone. Maybe now that the Kaiju are no more, marine biology could be something else you could pursue.”

Newt looked to be considering, his gaze flickering about. “Well, when you put it like that...” Then his gaze finally settled on Hermann. “Only if you’re still willing to put up with me. I kinda wouldn’t want to if… if I couldn’t have you.”

He smiles gently at Newt. “Of course. I would do that for you; with you.”

Hermann pulled him into a quick kiss, to which Newt responded to one of his own, putting an arm around Hermann’s waist.

He really wouldn’t want it any differently.

 

* * *

 

Newt buys Hermann a plushie stingray from the giftshop before they leave, and Hermann doesn’t say anything about it, but takes it regardless.

When they do finally leave, Hermann has to take a moment to let his eyes adjust to the outside light again. After being in that aquarium, the outside light seemed a bit brighter. Newt’s talking away, holding his hand, and he listens as he talks about what they should do now.

“I’m gonna buy you lunch. Cheesecake Factory is nearby, and we can sit outside. Then we can go walking around the harbor. We can do one of those boat tour things if you want. Oh, and I’m gonna kiss you a bunch too.”

“That sounds good.” Hermann says in response. He’s had a good day so far, so why not go along with whatever comes next and see how it goes?

“So you wanna go get lunch first?” Newt asks.

“I suppose, now that you mention it.”

“Cool. Maybe we can get some cheesecake to take back-”

“No cheesecake.” But then he corrects, “Not now, but later, alright?”

Newt grins. “You’re the best.”


End file.
